Hoodlums invade OAU, poison Dam over Land Dispute

Some hoodlums have reportedly stormed the premises of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife in Osun State and poisoned the school dam over a land dispute.

Sources in the university told The Punch on Friday that some indigenes, who claimed their land was taken for the university when it was established in 1962, had been selling some portions of the land.

The sources said the aggrieved indigenes were challenged by the university and stopped from further trespassing.

But the issue was said to have taken another dimension when some of the aggrieved landowners allegedly invaded the university from the Parakin area and headed for the Opa Dam, which is the only source of water to the university community.

Before the university security operatives could challenge them, the armed hoodlums were said to have poured poisonous chemicals in the dam which killed all the fishes and aquatic animals there.

A worker at the university, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said their action would have caused a disaster in the university if the officials had pumped the water to hostels and staff quarter that day.